Page 66 of Unmasking the Diamond
“Yes, but you also said you only offered because it was the honorable thing to do to save her from the Duke of Brackenford,” Rupert countered.
“That is true.”
Rupert leaned back in his seat. “If it helps, I do believe Miss Winslow cares for you, too.”
Luca snorted. “I daresay you need spectacles. Charlotte couldn’t wait to get away from me.”
Rupert tilted his head, studying Luca. “Perhaps. But I’ve observed her at countless social events. She flirts shamelessly with nearly every eligible man, yet with you, she restrains herself. Why is that, I wonder?”
Luca looked heavenward. “Do not analyze me or Charlotte. I’m not in the mood.”
Rupert raised his hands in mock surrender. “Very well. I will stop, but not before I say this: do not give up the fight for Miss Winslow.”
Luca’s brow furrowed despite himself. “I may regret asking this, but why?”
“There is more to Miss Winslow than meets the eye,” Rupert said, his usual levity softening into something close to sincerity. “She may present herself as vain and pretentious, but I believe she feels deeply. She’s… layered.”
Luca already knew this. He’d seen the flickers of vulnerability beneath her polished exterior, the quick wit and keen observation that most missed. That Rupert had deduced this after only a handful of interactions impressed him more than he cared to admit.
Seeking a change of subject, Luca nodded towards the velvet pouch resting beside Rupert. “May I ask where you acquired all those tools?”
Rupert casually placed a hand over it, his grin returning. “I’ve accumulated them over the years.”
“For what purpose?”
“It is best that you don’t know,” Rupert replied, his tone brooking no argument.
Luca studied his friend. Rupert was a puzzle—jovial and irreverent in public, yet beneath that façade was a man capable of deadly precision when it mattered. In that way, he was not unlike Charlotte herself: outwardly one thing, inwardly quite another.
The carriage slowed, then came to a halt. Luca leaned forward and pushed open the door, stepping down onto the pavement in front of Miss Dawlish’s townhouse. Cheapside bustled around them, but the house stood oddly quiet. He strode up the steps and rapped sharply on the door.
Silence.
He knocked again, harder this time.
Still nothing.
Frowning, he stepped aside and peered through the bay window. All the furniture inside was draped with sheets, no lamps were lit, no movement stirred within.Botheration.She was gone.
Rupert joined him on the step. “It appears as if no one is home,” he observed.
Luca groaned under his breath. “I was just here. How did I let her slip through my fingers?”
“You couldn’t have known,” Rupert said.
“I should have,” Luca muttered.
Rupert shook his head. “You followed the evidence. You couldn’t have predicted her involvement.”
Luca raked a hand through his hair. “All I have to go on now is the ledger.”
“Start there,” Rupert advised. “And don’t doubt yourself. Nothing good comes from dwelling on the past. Focus on the present.”
Luca eyed him. “When did you get so wise?”
“I have always been wise,” Rupert quipped. “You simply failed to notice.”
With a reluctant chuckle, Luca turned back towards the carriage. He paused when he noticed Rupert hadn’t followed. “Are you not coming?”
